Posted on 10/03/2002 4:45:48 PM PDT by tarawa
Woman Shoots Intruder in Self Defense
Reported by Cheryl Chodun
Web produced by Kelly Reynolds
Two terrified women felt they had run out of options. The women huddled in a closet clutching a handgun while intruders roamed through their Detroit flat. But it wasn't until one of the suspected thieves opened the closet door that the women fired.
One suspect is hospitalized. He is in serious condition. He is under arrest. Police are searching for at least one more suspect and probably more. They say what happened inside the flat on Sorento looks like a clear case of self-defense.
With guns drawn, police were back at a home that was broke into Tuesday night. They weren't sure who called them, but no one was at the home Wednesday morning. The two women who live in the flat, though, had quite an ordeal Tuesday night. When it was over, one of the women had shot one of the suspects.
"You've got to protect yourself. You have to. So to me they did the right thing. Because it could have happened and they could have got hurt," said Pauline Clark, a friend of the victims.
Police say it happened just after 11:30 when the suspects broke in through a back door that leads to a bedroom in the lower flat.
"Heard the noises. She fled from downstairs and went to the upstairs neighbor and they both hid in the closet. He approached with a weapon, opened the door, and she fired approximately two shots to defend herself. One of the suspects was struck in the neck," explained Sgt. Jonathan Parnell, Detroit Police Department.
One of the neighbors says he saw the injured suspect and others running away from the home.
"He said, 'Oh, I been shot, I been shot.' He stopped by the car and ran a little further, and told his friend again, 'I been shot.' So his friend came back and grabbed him. She didn't have no other choice but to shoot him. You know? I mean that's a shame he got shot, but he had no business breaking in there," one witness said.
While crime scene investigators went through both floors of the house, ransacked and blood stained, friends of the victims, who stayed away Wednesday, say they can't believe it happened in their neighborhood.
"I was so nervous. You seen me. I was in shock," Clark said.
They're just thankful, though the two women, who are good friends, are okay.
"I'm so glad. I'm so glad. Oh, man. I hope everything gets better," said Clark.
Police say there was a trail of blood leading out the front door, down the walk, and down the street. And some people say they heard when the suspects were trying to get away, they were actually knocking on doors to try to get help. Police say they had no knowledge of help that.
The suspect is in serious condition and they are hoping when he come comes to, they can talk to him and he will help them find the other suspects. If you know anything, please call Detroit Police.
Thousands in France , Belgeum, and the Netherlands took to the streets, upsetting motorcars and burning storefronts to protest the 'American culture of violence'......
Guardian, U.K.
..with lighter powder load, and maybe a 110 gr. JHP, so you knock the bad guy flat, but don't disturb the neighbors in the house next door (and the one next to them, and the next house, and maybe the house after that, too).
FReegards.. SFS
Well, "duh"! Brilliant analysis, partner. I guess that was sort of my point in the first place.
I've done my research, but am always learning. A 357 with a full powder load will penetrate through wood and walls. JHP will help some. I'd prefer a larger, slower round (our friends 158 gr. recommendation seems about right) to knock down the bad guy, if my kids are in the next room and I ... ah, don't quite practice enough.
Problem with the heavier round (and full powder), at least with my S&W Model 19, is that it kicks like a mule. Even if the macho-guy-shooters feel they can practice enough to handle the kick, the average lady may not be able to.
Anyway, I run .38's in my model 19 when it's in the home, and .357 while out on the road. If I were buying my wife a handgun for self-defense, I'd get her a lady S&W 5-shot .38 (Model 36LS) or better yet, something like the Model 638 which is light and protects the hammer (in case she's carrying it in a purse, etc.).
I keep some semi-auto's for self-defense too, but I'm so much more comfortable with the Model 19, that its the handgun I depend on. It's saved my life at least once.
FReegards.. SFS
You are right. The only shame, is that he isn't pushing up daisies.
:)
Don't know what your "self-defense" remark was about.
FReegards..SFS
Well, yes and no. I have the sweetest Lab-mutt who would probably defend to the death, if only he could see the enemy. He's about as nearsighted as I was before I had eye surgery 'bout 5 years back.
His nose is first-rate, but unfortunately, he's scared and angry at everything he smells. Cat on the hillside..bark, bark, bark. Possom or ferret on the hillside.. bark, bark, bark. Leaves blowing on the hillside...... well, you get the picture.
I see your point about the .357, but it may have been bought because of the name. The short load, however, makes sense in a close confrontation situation. A heavy load can rip through soft tissue and the target can keep advancing without realizing it's been hit because of initial shock. A lighter load at close range is more likely to disable the target.
A hollow-point, light-load at short range can render life-support irrelevant.
Regards, Airboy 101 (lennydetroit)
Because with some snubbies, recoil is excessive with even .38 Special ammo. While this is particularly true with titanium snubbies, it's also true of at least some steel-frame ones. (OTOH, the Ruger SP101 is a snubbie that is very controllable and has light recoil.)
The last thing a woman needs is a gun that is effectively a single-shot gun due to extreme recoil.
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True. I actually find a compact .45 ACP semiauto to be much easier to deal with than these ultralight alloy snubbies with .357 loads (the second shot on controlled pairs is easier for me to pick up rapidly).
.38+P loads in the heavier framed .357 guns are a good choice. Enough power, the recoil is more manageable and the muzzle flash is not as severe in low light conditions.
I was wondering about that as I read the article.
Does this fall under the "better tried by 12 than carried by 6" rule?
I doubt it. While I think DA might not be able to keep himself from arresting her,the fact that it IS a woman who is most likely a black woman on top of that practically guarantees there will be no trial in Detroit. No jury there would ever convict her,and this isn't the type of precedent the DA wants established. If the shooter had been a white male and had shot a black male,he would be looking for bail money even as I type these words.
Neighbors trying to sleep... bark, bark, bark. Well, you get the picture.
Low rent flat in crime ridden neighborhood: $600/mo.
Second hand pistol you bought at the pawn shop: $95
Dead bolt lock from Home Depot: $39.95
Safety chain "for good measure": $9.95
911 call: $0.00
The value of a bleeding perp. running around outside your place screaming 'Oh, I been shot, I been shot...'
PRICELESS
Agree with you on point #2. Practice and get familiar with your gun. Take self-defense training and take it seriously. Your life depends on it. If you train well, caliber shouldn't be that big a deal.
Point #3 is half right - you should aim for center of mass. Head shots are a bad idea for a number of reasons - it's a small target, it's a moving target, and it's mostly thick bone with little room to place an effective handgun round.
The women seemed overly apologetic in the article. It seems as thought they might be fearing exactly what you mentioned.
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